This invention relates to solar energy collecting devices and more particularly, to an improved solar reflector system for enhancing solar radiation applied to a solar receiving area in a simple mechanical fashion.
Solar energy collecting devices have been used for residential and commercial heating, but only on a rather limited basis. Continually curved reflector surfaces and solar tracking mechanisms that continually position a reflector relative to the collector's solar receiving area, to maximize performance of the collector are expensive and have not proven commercially practical. To use a fixed reflector results in rather inefficient operation of a concentrating collector over a year's time. Van Kuijk Pat. No. 4,396,008, for example, shows a solar heat collection device comprising collectors arranged to be fixedly disposed as sub-collectors each of a set of at least two of such collectors, with one longitudinal edge of their screen adjoining one another. Each sub-collector has a parabolic reflector screen for reflecting sun rays thereto.
Winston U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,961 discloses a compound parabolic concentrator with a V-shaped cavity having an optical receiver therein. The cavity redirects all energy entering between the receiver and the cavity structure onto the receiver, if the optical receiver is placed a distance from the cavity not greater than 0.27 r (where r is the radius of the receiver).
Way, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,391 shows the use of entirely flat planar reflector panels hinged along the edges of a solar receiving area for the purpose of achieving temperatures suitable for cooking.
Wormser U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,978 relates to solar collectors of the type having associated, entirely planar reflectors to increase their efficiency and includes a method of establishing the orientation of the collector with respect to the sun such that the unit may be operated at a high level of year-round efficiency with only a semi-annual adjustment to the angular positioning of the reflector with respect to the collector.
This invention is concerned with solar collectors of such size that it is not practical to position them in an adjustable fashion. The solar collector is provided with a solar reflector system that comprises a plurality of flat planar reflector panels and that is hinged to provide a tracking operation so as to maximize solar collector performance.
An object of the present invention is to provide a fixed in-place solar collector with a hinged solar reflector system for enhancing the performance of the solar collector.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a relatively large fixed solar collector with an effective solar reflector system comprised of a plurality of flat planar reflector panels, which are less costly than smoothly curved reflector panels.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a solar reflector system for a large fixed solar collector, such reflector system comprising a relatively large flexible reflector surface that is seasonably adjustable insofar as curvature is concerned, by simply mechanical means to optimize reflectivity of solar energy to the solar receiving area of the collector.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be made more apparent hereinafter.